Papercrete "Gazebo" Structure

 

This structure is probably twenty years old. We've always called it "the gazebo" though it's only as big as a large patio umbrella. That umbrella is the structure's roof and was the inspiration for trying to make what is basically a large garden sculpture out of papercretre. The shaft had broken on the umbrella, my neighbor threw it away, and I salvaged it. I had built a little papercrete mixer that i pulled around the yard with a riding mower. I pressed the papercrere over an armature of rebar, fence, and chicken wire. The umbrella roof was coated with latex cement. I was very excited about papercrete at the time, which seemed like paper mache. But, exposed to weather, it deteriorated over the years. At one point I extended the roof to make a little overhang and re-covered it with a mortar that included asphalt emulsion.  It's held up well over the years. The papercrete has since been covered with mortar and most of the sculptures redone.

This is the only exposed papercrete left from the original effort. The overhang had protected it from the weather.